


Lost in the lapse again

by NowhereJules



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Player Character (Hogwarts Mystery), First Kiss, First Love, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Mystery Group - Freeform, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Pre-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Pureblood Culture, Romance, Slow Burn, Slytherin, Treason, Video Game: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 20:50:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14679249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NowhereJules/pseuds/NowhereJules
Summary: Naerys Avery came from one of the most well known PureBlood family in the magical world. As years go by, she grew up as a loving an talented young lady, respected among her peers, encouraged by her professors and congratuled by Albus Dumbledore himself.Yet, her reputation is ternished by her brother past actions regarding the cursed vaults of Hogwarts...Now in her sixth year, many secrets were already revealed and the young lady was certain that she was only getting closer to discover what happened to Jacob Avery.





	1. And so it begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so I've finally ended my finals and I'll 100% dive into this story.
> 
> Since it takes place during Year 6 and that I adapted my MC's story to my idea, I decided to post those little facts about her.  
> Of course, feel free to imagine her the way you like, I just described her as I personally envisioned her but you can picture her as you want! :)
> 
> Here are small things to catch up on the years you've missed and to get you to know Naerys better!  
> I hope that you'll like my story as much as I enjoy writing it!  
> I'm looking for a beta reader because my writings aren't the best and I am french! So if you are interested, feel free to DM me!
> 
> I'll post the first chapter this week-end and should upload once a week! :)  
> Enjoy!

** Meet Naerys Avery: **   
  
Naerys Avery was born on the 13th of June 1973 in Dorset, England.  
She is the daughter of Ailean Avery and Astrid Nott.  
She is a pureblood.  
She is a Slytherin.  
  
Her paternal grandfather was suspected to be Death Eater but never faced trial because he was diagnosed senile and claimed that all he did was under the Imperium Act. The charge being too weak, he was sent to Saint Mungo until his death, when Naerys was only 4 years old. Her grandmother died during childbirth and his grandfather never remarried.  
  
Her mother wanted them to learn about the Muggle World and secretly took Jacob and her to visit the Muggle part of the United Kingdom. Her father despised the idea but never openly voiced hatred for muggles. Naerys and Jacob were always told that he reacted this way because he was afraid that his children could be accidentally exposed to a muggle and get hurt.  
  
Her mother is a very nice and caring one. She is very close to both her children and suffers a lot from Jacob’s disappearance. She is a tall and carries herself with a lot of confidence. Her hair is black and her eyes are of a warm brown colour with a gold light. She always stayed at home and raised her children by herself, even though she sometimes helps her husband for administrative works.  
  
Her father is a very busy man, he occupies a high rank in the International Confederation of Wizard. He nwas never really around. Naerys always respected him a great deal because he seemed to be working twice as hard to make the Wizard World forget about his father’s actions and wash the Avery name. He is very close to the Malfoy Family, and Naerys sometimes babysit their only son Draco and her cousin Theo Nott.

  
He father is strict and not very demonstraruve. Jacob and her always had to work a lot to earn a praise, and Naerys has the feeling that this played a huge role in Jacob’s obsession for the vaults. She always thought that he wanted to make their Dad proud. 

Her dad forbids Astrid and Naerys to talk about Jacob at home.  
  
Physically, Naerys pretty much took after her Irish father. She has long wavy brown hair with natural red highlights. Her eyes are blue-green, and she has a very soft face, long eyelashes and strong cheekbones. Her lips are plump, and she has small dimples whenever she smiles. She isn’t very tall but has a curvy figure.

* * *

**Relationships:**

She has a very strong friendship with those she called jokingly her “gang.” It consisted of Tulip, Rowan, Penny, Tonks, Charlie, Ben, Barnaby and Bill who left Hogwarts already but continued to write to them.  
  
Barnaby and Charlie became best friends during Year 4 and only became overly competitive when it came to Quidditch. Charlie never joined Gryffindor’s team but Barnaby joined as a Beater. In year 6 he became Team Captain after their previous one left Hogwarts. They are both very close to Ben that they took under their wing and it made him gain a lot of confidence.  
  
Naerys actually is closest to Tulip because she loves her dry sense of humour and her sarcastic side.  
  
Tulip openly loves to jab Ben because of his awkwardness and he fights back each one of them because he isn’t afraid to voice his opinion when it comes to his friends.  
  
Rowan’s crush on Bill never faded but she never acted on it. Bill actually knew she liked him but didn’t reciprocate the feeling. He never voiced it to her because since she never acted on it he didn’t want to ruin their friendship by breaking her heart.  
  
Barnaby became quite popular among the other students and actually got poisoned with a Love Filter during Year 5 when a Ravenclaw girl offered him a drink after a training session. He got so mad that he never ever accepted any gift again. Tonks punished the girl by hexing her and she smelled like fish for a week. She exclaimed: “Hey, I smell something fishy with this girl” every time they came across which made every one laugh.  
  
The Bowtruckle that Professor Kettkleburn offered to Naerys was named Barnaby Jr. and the gang calls him Junior. Barnaby was so deeply touched by the attention that he nearly crushed Naerys with his bear hug.  
  
Junior once bit Tulip’s finger when she tried to scare Barnaby in the library by putting her finger in his ear.She screamed so loudly that she lost her house 20 points.


	2. O n e

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter one of my story. I'm actively looking for a beta reader for this story! If you are interested please DM me here or on my tumblr killianandemmajones.tumblr.com!  
> Nothing much happens in this chapter but I can promise you that I have my whole plan already set.  
> I'm just planting the seeds here :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> Please comment and tell me what are your thoughts about this, it will help me improve and I'll see that people are actually reading this :)
> 
> Jules!

"But Rowan… I am literally in his fucking house, and he took 10 points from us, again" Naerys whined while they exited Snape’s class.   
  
“Well, has Snape ever been fair regarding your case in the past six years?“ answered Rowan, her perfectly shaped eyebrow arched with an amused grin “you lost points at almost all of his classes since we both entered Hogwarts and he never really tried to hide the fact that he isn’t really a fan of yours”   
  
“ … Thanks Rowan” She countered back with a fake offended tone.   
  
“She has a point Avery” replied a voice in their back that belonged to Liam Adams, our Prefect in Chief and one of the best students in the Slytherin House “and you did sass him when he admonished you for flipping off Ismelda and Merula.”   
  
“Those girls are pricks and you both know it” She defended herself “they were making fun of Ben’s potion, bullied him in the middle of the class and Snape said nothing. He never says anything! ”   
  
“We lost points either way, didn’t we?“ Countered Liam “Anyway, I have to get going, the Quidditch practice is about to start and I have to get there before Barnaby. His warm-ups might as well kill someone one day. Please remind him that we aren’t all like him, he seems to forget that. “   
  
“Sure will, bye Liam” they giggled, letting him through and resuming their path to the Common Room. “Good Luck with that” Naerys added before he disappeared around the corner.   
  
“How wasn’t Barnaby the Captain sooner anyway?” wondered Rowan “He is the best Beater Hogwarts got in a very long time, everyone worships him. I’ve heard that the Appleby Arrows wants to recruit him after our school year and that they don’t really care if he succeeds his Aspics or not.”   
  
“Do they?” She wasn’t actually that surprised that a prestigious team such as them would want to recruit Barnaby Lee. Hailing from the north of England, they became one of the most well known Team when they succeeded to win a match that went for 16 days. What surprised her most was that Barnaby didn’t tell her about this amazing opportunity but told Rowan “Wow, how do you know that and I don’t? ”   
  
“Penny told me.” she shrugged, smiling, while she got herself a seat next to the fireplace.   
  
“Of course she did” Naerys smiled back, taking the seat in front of hers.   
  
He and she had a rocky start, due to his former allegiance to none other than Merula Snyder, aka the little bitch who was ruining her life, well everybody’s life really, since the first day at school.

But Barnaby turned out to be a pretty decent person. He helped the squad during their third year and never let them down ever since. The young witch went to drink a Butterbeer with him, once, and they talked for ages. Naerys discovered that Barnaby was an orphan and that his parents were sent to Azkaban due to their affiliation to You-Know-Who.   
  
He was brought in the care of his grand-mother after that, but since she was too old to take care of him, he was pretty much raised by the House Elves. They taught him to be compassionate, caring and kind, which Naerys thinks saved him for turning the same as Merula and be the cause for his devotion towards magical creatures and their protection.   
  
He was strong, very strong for his age in fact, and the hard Quidditch trainings made him even bigger now that his figures turned into a man’s. A lot of people thought that he was quite dumb, and even Rowan who never was the type to judge once compared him to a troll.   
  
But the young Avery always thought that there was more to Barnaby Lee than he let appear.   
  
He might not be the brightest wizard in Hogwarts, but more often than once, the young witch caught him intensely studying in the Library and even collecting points from professors for his well-done homeworks.   
  
She caught Rowan’s amused smile and couldn’t help but frown at her expression.   
  
“What”? She enquired; slightly annoyed by Rowan’s smug face every time the handsome Slytherin boy was mentioned.   
  
“Nothing” she eluded, her amused grin still plastered on her face while she opened her “Intermediate Transfiguration" book. She began studying for their upcoming test while Naerys decided to continue her essay on the Giant Wars for our History of Magic class.   
  
Ever since Penny told Rowan that she saw both Slytherins at the "The Three Broomsticks" during third year, both girls never let it drop.   
  
They called it their “first date”, which never ceased to drive her crazy because it was about as far from a date as it could be.   
  
But she made a promise to Barnaby that day, and even though Rowan was one of her best friend, she’d never betray his trust. He told her about his childhood and his Father’s dream. As a Pure Blood, and the son of a known Death Eater, things have been rough on him. And Naerys could relate, her own family having faced a trial regarding her grandfather’s alleged implication with the Dark Lord.   
  
Fearghas Avery actually never went to Azkaban because he claimed that he was under the Imperium Curse during his time as a Death Eater. She never really met him tough, because her Mother didn’t want to have any affiliation with the Dark Lord whatsoever because of her own origins.   
  
She and her dad met during their time in Hogwarts, both attending the same House of Slytherin. Astrid Nott was a beautiful woman: black hair and eyes of a warm brown with a golden shine. She always stayed at home since her wedding to Ailean Avery and sometimes helped her husband for administrative works when she didn’t take care of her two children.   
  
Naerys’s parents fell in love during their years in Hogwarts. Astrid’s parents originally planned to wed her to one of the Black sons. Tthe two of them turning mad, they finally caved in to their daughter inclination towards the only Avery heir even though he didn’t have quite a good reputation at the time. Ailean was a smart man and was known for his ambition of making his own name in the Wizarding World, not having second thoughts when it came to crush an opponent or to take the dirty roads.

He seemed to have made amends after his wedding. Even though neither of his children were really close to him, Jacob and Naerys both knew that they could count on him and that he was now a truly respected employee at the International Confederation of Wizard. His status affected his relationship with his family, of course. He was an absent father since his job took the most of his time. When he was around, he remained a very strict father, where their mother was as tender and loving as one can be. Naerys always thought that his want to wash the Avery name of her grandfather’s alleged actions affected him a lot and that he shut down because of the sadness of losing the only parent he still had. After Jacob’s disappearance, he was even less around, as if he was avoiding his home and his family. Naerys felt for her mother, because she was now as alone as ever.   
  
She promised herself to put a smile on her father’s face once again and that she would retrieve Jacob. Her brother seemed to be the key to her family’s happiness, as if his missing piece shattered the whole balance of their unity.   
  
“Gosh, I am so nervous about our Owls” Huffed Rowan, interrupting her friend’s deep thoughts.   
  
“Yeah, tell me about it” She mumbled, sadness and sorrow still bugging her but she tried to look composed “You are ready Rowan, and I am sure that you’ll pass the test with flying colours. I just hope that Mrs Babbling won’t actuallymake us translate the bloody part of the “Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms” book because no one understood a thing about it! ”   
  
“She won’t, don’t worry about it” reassured Rowan, scrutinizing her friend’s face and sensing that something was off. If she understood that Naerys’s distress had nothing to do with their Owl’s she was sensitive enough not to bringit up “it was well too advanced for our level, I’m pretty sure it will be a very more basic translation to be honest”   
  
“I hope that you are right…” She replied, taking full advantage of Rowan’s opening  in order to change the subject “Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you earlier, but Merula was listening carefully and I didn’t want her to know… But Bill asked me about all of you earlier, he wrote to me this morning. ”   
  
“He did? What did he want to know? ”Rowan couldn’t hide her excitement; after all, she was never really subtle about her crush on the former Gryffindor Head Boy.   
  
Bill left us a few months ago after succeeding his Aspics, yet he still wrote to his friends regularly.   
  
“I was actually surprised that Charlie didn’t pipe a thing about this, but he got the job at Gringotts. He starts on Monday as a Curse Breaker and might be sent in Egypt to work on case in a few months. ”Naerys replied.   
  
“A curse breaker? Yeah that sounds about right. ”Laughed Rowan, just as excited as her friend about those news.And Egypt? I am so jealous right now, I’ve never been to Egypt and I would have loved to finally visit a Pyramid! ”   
  
“We could always visit him during a holiday,” Naerys offered.   
  
“You know my parents. They would never let me wander the world alone! ” replied Rowan, letting an annoyed huff out.   
  
“You wouldn’t be alone, you’d be with me!”   
  
“My point, exactly!” replied Rowan, arching an eyebrow and making Naerys laugh.   
  
“We will figure it out Rowan, don’t worry” reassured her friend, gently patting her knee “Anyway, he is happy, and I told him that we were all studying for our Owls and that we would force Charlie to study as well. I didn’t have as exciting news as he did… And I didn’t want to talk about the vaults just in case someone reads our mail… ”   
  
“Yeah, you did the right thing” Rowan approved “I’m pretty sure all of our mail is being proofed after what we did regarding those vaults anyway. They don’t need to know what you plan to do next. ”   
  
“I even don’t know what I plan to do next,” Naerys joked,  “well, outside this damn paper…” she faked pout while raising her essay.   
  
“Sure thing. Let’s get back to it” Rowan laughed.   
  
They studied for a while after that, both absorbed by their work. They were suddenly distracted by a bunch of students coming inside the common room, booming loudly and most certainly just getting out of their afternoon period. Naerys looked at her watch and realized that it was way later than she thought it was.   
  
“Oh Merlin” she gasped, packing her things in haste “I’ll be right back, I just need to find something in the Library for this damn paper and I wanted to ask Professor McGonagall for an authorization in the restricted section!”

Minerva McGonagall grew quite fond of the young Slytherin witch, impressed by her hard work and abilities. Of course, Naerys Avery was no way close to Rowan’s academic performances, but she was talented enough and had great grades when she wasn’t too distracted by her personal quests.   
  
The corridors were almost empty at this time of the day, many students having already retreated to their dorms or still at the Quidditch fields for their practice.

  
Naerys actually considered skipping her initial idea and join her friends at the field, since Barnaby and Charlie Weasley managed to convince Ben to join the team and swore to help him practice and overcome his fear of getting hurt.   
  
It was funny that careless and athletic guys such as Charlie and Barnaby formed a close friendship with him. They were quite different from one another at first glance, but their dynamic actually worked and they were similar in a lot of things. During their years here, Barnaby and Charlie only grew closer and closer, bonding over their love for magical creatures and a taste for danger. Soon enough, they began referring to one another as brothers, and anyone knew better but to mess with those two.   
  


Ben on the other end was the one who changed the most. When he first arrived in Hogwarts, he was just a scrawny little boy, scared of a world he never encountered before and bullied by Merula. In his sixth year here, Ben grew up into a much confident person. To be fair, Naerys had her doubts on his agenda during their third and four years, but Barnaby’s never ending trust in people actually made her changed her mind about him. With the help of her Slytherin friend, she understood Ben’s fears and decided to help him overcome them. He was still a bit warier than most of them, but he truly was the perfect example of the caterpillar which became a butterfly and she now knew that she could count on him.   
  
She was halfway through her small walk towards McGonagall’s office when she spotted Charlie at the end of the opposite hallway, carrying the rest of Barnaby’s gear that he usually lent him for their private practice session. Charlie never joined Gryffyndor’s team, despite being one of their most enthusiast supporter. It just wasn’t his scene, and he loved Magical Creatures a lot better than he loved flying on a broom.    
  
“Practice already over?” Naerys wondered, engaging him from where she stood at the end of the hallway.   
  
The young Weasley raised his head, recognizing his friend’s voice. He threw her a big smile, walking a bit faster to meet her. “Yeah, Ben fell pretty hard and Barnaby didn’t want to push him too much afterwards.”   
  
“Oh god, is he okay?” Naerys asked, her eyes wide.   
  
“Just a fright to be honest, Barnaby hit the Bludger a bit too close to his head, he moved too fast and fell on his ass. He wasn’t that up high but it was done for the day anyway. Barnaby just stayed to convince him that he needed to, at least, ride his broomstick before leaving. He said that it was just like falling from a horse or something like that. “He answered, patting her shoulder in a reassuring way.   
  
“He isn’t wrong about that” she granted, smiling at the idea of how much willpower Barnaby was certainly using to convince his friend to do as he said.   
  
“What are you up to anyway?” wondered Charlie “Tulip said that you were going to study late and that you wouldn't be joining us tonight"   
  
"Oh, I was. I was heading to McGonagall's office to ask her something when I saw you coming in.”   
  
“She is not there, she took our first year students to Hogmeads” the young Weasley answered,  “I would have told you sooner. I didn’t know that you needed to see her, is it very urgent? ”   
  
“Oh no, don’t worry, I just needed to ask her to grant me an access to the Restricted Area,” Naerys answered, putting a lock of her long dark hair behind her ear.   
  
They chatted for a while, waiting for Barnaby and Ben to come back as well and when they did, Barnaby looked pretty annoyed and Ben looked nothing but defeated.   
  
“Are you alright?” Naerys asked as soon as she saw them, walking as fast as she could towards them and checking on Ben.   
  
“It’s not me you should be worried about” Answered Ben “I fell but I got back on my broomstick just as Barnaby told me to, but Ismelda came along… I thought Barnaby was going to hex her.”   
  
“What? Why? ”Charlie and Naerys gasped.

Ismelda was the student Naerys despised the most here. Merula was annoying for sure, but Ismelda was just a crazy psycho who needed a one way ticket to Azkaban if you asked her. Through the years, she became even shadier and made the Slytherin House loose a pretty important number of points due to her bullying and attitude towards the professors and the other students. Naerys just dreamed of knocking her yellowish teeth out.   
  
“Ben was doing great until she decided to join the party” Answered Barnaby “She cast a spell on his broom and the thing went crazy. I thought that Ben was going to crash! Thank god Mrs Hooch saw the whole thing and punished her for it. I swear, one day I am going to get her back for that nasty bruise she gave me in Year 3. ”   
  
“She has it coming” winked Charlie” Anyway, we should head to the showers before dinner, it’s almost time and I don’t want to be late for that feast!”   
  
Ben and him being in the same House, they headed towards their common room and Naerys walked back to the Slytherin one with Barnaby. She thought about what Rowan said earlier, about him possibly leaving this school without his degree and to become a professional quidditch player. Maybe she wasn’t as subtle as she thought, but Barnaby sensed that something was bothering her, and he playfully bumped his arm against her shoulder.   
  
“What is it? You are like a million miles away from me right now,” he smiled, watching her face intensely.   
  
“Rowan said some things about you earlier…” she began, halting her walk and meeting his gaze.   
  
He looked confused and slightly worried, not really understanding where this was going.   
  
“She said that you were approached by the Appleby Arrows…” the female Slytherin continued.   
  
“I was” Barnaby admitted, turning his torso so he could face her “is this what’s bothering you?”   
  
Naerys frowned at this, she didn’t think that Penny would lie or that she would be misinformed but hearing the confirmation from him made her stomach drop.   
  
“Why… Why didn’t you tell me? ”she frowned, not really understanding why it was bothering her so much.   
  
Barnaby’s smile faltered too and she saw how confused her reaction made him. She knew that she was supposed to be excited because this was one hell of an opportunity for him. She wasn’t really being a great friend her, acting all broody when his friend just confirmed that one of the best Quidditch team of England wanted him.   
  
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t accept it” Barnaby answered, raising his hand to tilt her face towards his “ Who told you? ”   
  
“Rowan did,” Naerys confessed,  “But she was told by Penny…”   
  
“Of course she was” Barnaby smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.   
  
“I knowthatyou love Quidditch and that it is one hell of an opportunity, but you usually tell me everything and yet I seem to be the last one to know this. I thoughtthatyou wanted to be a Magizoologist. ”   
  
“You thought this because youknow me well” Barnaby smiled, dropping her chin but taking a lock of her hair instead, “But you also knowthatIam not the brightest student here and that the studies to become one are long a difficult. To be honest I didn’t thinkthatI could make it. I needed time to think about it and I actually wanted to ask you opinion on this… But you get so mad whenever I tell you that I’m not as good as you guys... I wanted to find the right moment. I hate to make you mad, but it seemed that I failed anyway. ”   
  
He seemed so defeated at this moment that Naerys couldn’t help but give him a reassuring smile. Barnaby often looked as if he still carried that childish innocence within this huge manly body. She loved that about him, the fact that was that caring and sensitive, using his strength to do well and not to bully the weakest ones.   
  
“Barney I am not mad,” she assured him,  “Okay I was a little mad that you didn’t tell me because you usually confide in me… But I understand, and I am not mad anymore. ”

Barnaby’s cute grin came back full force after this and it reached his eyes this time. “Sure?”   
  
“Yes, silly!” she laughed, raising her own hands to ruffle his messy hair “but I don’t agree with you. I know that you are capable of fulfilling your dream. You will be the best Magizoologist since Newt Scamander… AND the best Beater the Appleby’s ever had.”   
  
Barnaby frowned, not quite sure about what his friend was implying here. She laughed at his reacted and hooked her arm though his one that wasn’t carrying his gear. “What do you mean?” he asked.   
  
“Well, you can say yes to the Appleby Arrows and ask them to pay for your scholarship in the Magizoologist School of Leeds. You could study and play at the same time. So you would be graduated in 3 years and then would be able to choose what you want to do… And I mean, if you choose Quidditch, nothing stops you from becoming a Magizoologist after you retire from you Quidditch career… ”   
  
Barnaby looked at her as if she was a genius, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. This was the reason he loved her the most among his friends. She saw the better in him and encouraged him to be his better self since the very first day they met.   
  
“Avery if I wasn’t in a desperate need of a shower I’d hug you right now,” he answered, smiling full force and his steps back to their usual enthusiastic selves.   
  
He really should have told her sooner.


	3. T w o : A day at the Lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is chapter 2!
> 
> Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement and your comments. It truly helps a lot!
> 
> I'm still looking for a beta reader though... ;)
> 
> I hope you'll like it.

It was a beautiful afternoon in Hogwarts. Spring was actually nice this year and the students enjoyed the cool temperatures and sunny days whenever they had a free period. 

Naerys and her group of friends usually went to their favourite little spot near the pier where Charlie usually observe the creatures of the lake with Barnaby and Tulip use those times to sketch them. She became really good at it, and it was very nice to have someone capturing these moments forever. One day, when they will be older, they will be lucky to have something to remind them of their time in school, together, and maybe even tell their children about it. 

Naerys never really thought about how she envisioned her future. One night, Rowan told her about her parents plan regarding hers, and she realised that she never really thought about it. Would her parent follow tradition and make her choose among a list of suitable suitors? Well, good luck with that, because she was a free spirit and she won't be a stay at home mother. 

She respected her mother a great deal and admired her devotion to her husband and her family, yet, she didn’t dream of such a life for herself. This conversation with Rowan made her realized that even though she didn’t quite know what she wanted to do after Hogwart, she already knew what she didn’t want for herself. Maybe she could follow Bill’s steps and become an official curse breaker? Maybe an Auror? She knew that she needed to set her head on this soon, her Owls having already begun and their Aspics coming towards them really fast. 

But what Rowan implied, was what she wanted on a personal level. Did she want to have kids? Did she want to get married at a young age? She never really thought about this either. At the age of sixteen, Naerys Avery never dated anyone before. She knew that she was a pretty young lady, but the fact that she was usually chasing after the Curse Vaults rather than chasing boys didn’t help much in the matter. When she first attended Hogwarts, most boys thought that she was mad and didn’t take much of an interest in her anyway. 

Her eyes landed on Penny, who was one of the cutest girls at school. Her long blonde locks framed her delicate face and pretty blue eyes and her kindness made her very popular among the other students. She’s dated a few boys already and Naerys wondered if she should ask her for advices. She didn’t really want to ask the boys about it, Tulip and Tonks didn’t care about dating in the slightest and well Rowan as about as advanced as she was in this area anyway. Penny seemed like a reliable source, but would anyone want to date the mad girl anyway? 

“Hey what are you guys doing?” asked Ben, walking towards his friends alongside with Charlie. They just finished practice and decided to join the small group at the lake before dinner. The sun was still high in the sky, and the small fresh wind was the only indication that it was soon going to get darker. 

“Just enjoying a small ray of the sun as long as we can“ Answered Penny, giving them a warm smile and moving her things so Charlie could take place next to her. 

They were currently chilling between girls, Penny, Rowan, Tulip and Naerys, sitting in circle next to the lake and enjoying the sunny spring day. Tonks didn't want to join, being in detention for her latest joke. They were supposed to study, but so far, they pretty much only chatted about their day and their plans for the upcoming holidays. 

“And I am trying to make them study” Added Rowan, waving her Potion’s book. She insisted that they didn’t let this free time to waste, of course, and came with the idea of questioning each other to study the lesson in a funnier way.

“Yeah… That too” Naerys mumbled, feigning her disinterest in doing so, when she actually liked this way of studying in a group. She then winked at Ben who took place on her right under the tree « How was practice this time, no Ismelda drama?”

“Okay I guess…“He shrugged “I am not dead. Which is a good sign I would say?”

“Always the optimistic Copper” sassed Tulip, making the entire group laugh. 

The boys joined the little study session, but soon enough they stopped studying and began to chat again instead. Now in their sixth year and attended different classes and houses, they didn’t see each other as often as they used too. Even Rowan let her books down and happily chatted with Penny about the dress she saw in Hogsmead and that she planned on buying during their next trip there. 

“Well, isn’t it a productive group study? And I’m the bad student of the group!”Laughed Barnaby, joining the squad almost half an hour later “You guys quit already?”

“We actually did study” narrowed Tulip “But well, one brain can only handle it for a little while and then bad habits die hard. We have a lot to catch up!”

 

“Oh, I see.” He laughed again, taking place between Rowan and Naerys. He crossed his long legs and slid a little towards her so his back could also rest against the tree same she was leaning on. “I caught Flitwick by the way, thanks!”

 

“All good then?” enquired Charlie, weighting a small stone before throwing it lazily in the lake.

 

“Yup!” answered Barnaby his eyes focused on the small ripple it made on the water in front of him and then smiled when he noticed than Penny began to do the same as Charlie. She just wasn’t really good at it, yet.

“Why did you have to talk to Flitwick anyway?” asked Rowan, frowning, her eyes prying. 

“Nothing too bad” he shrugged” I needed more time to write my paper because I was too busy with the Quidditch team. I didn’t want to fail his class and told him about it. He actually was very nice, but told me that it would be my only free pass on extra time. If it was to happen again, he would have to talk about it to Snape, or take away some points.”

“Barnaby!” Rowan shrieked ”You can’t let Quidditch make you fail your Owl’s…”

“I know” he sighed, his shoulders slouching and his cute goofy grin fading away “I’m aware that I might fail my year but you know… The Appleb…”

“The Appleby Bees wont recruit an idiot” she cut him, her eyes as severe as McGonagall reprimanding a student and effectively shutting him up “You have to pass, even if I have to tutor you myself.”

“Rowan! Rude!”chided Penny.

She frowned severely to her Slytherin friend who raised her hand in an apologizing way. She didn’t mean to be harsh, but it came out rude, nonetheless.

“You are not dumb” reassured Naerys, smiling affectionately at him and gently squeezing his hand after sending her own death glare to Rowan “But she is right, you need to pass. You are going to need this diploma for your future. We’ve talked about this.”

“Yes, I know.” he answered smiling again and squeezing her hand back “Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without you and your butt kicking,” He added, laying down so he could rest his head on her clothed thigh and relax for a bit. He often did that whenever they were hanging out or reading together, therefore Naerys didn’t even blinked when he settled there.

“Hey!” Rowan playfully shouted, making the others burst out laughing. “I did the butt kicking here and yet she gets all the credits! I see where the bias lay here.”

His face turned bright red when he realized how his sentence could be interpreted once he spoke it out loud. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know that you meant well, Row.”he quickly added, but Naerys reached out, laughing too, and ruffled his hair.

“Oh, Barn” laughed Rowan “It’s becoming too easy to get to you.” 

“Yeah, well, I might reconsider joining your little gang and go back to Merula’s if you enjoy making fun of me that much” he sassed back.

“Nah, you wouldn’t do that” Jabbed Charlie “Or there wouldn’t be any cuddling sessions with our little Curse Breaker over here anymore, and something tells me that it just wouldn’t do” snickered Charlie, adding a small “Ouch” when Penny kicked him in the ribs.

 

“Now that’s what I call instant karma” Joked Ben. 

“It’s not cuddling, I am resting. I don’t cuddle Weasley.”Answered Barnaby, arching an eyebrow at his best friend. 

“Sure you don’t, mate.” Charlie laughed.“I’m pretty sure you’d purr like a cat if she caressed your hair.”

Among the small group, it was completely normal that some got closer to one another. Rowan and Naerys used to be attached to the hip. If Naerys remained Rowan’s best friend, the dark-haired witch actually grew closer to Tulip. She loved her sassy personality and her penchant for dark humour that never ceased to make her laugh. 

Rowan often reminded her of a feminine version of Ben: adorable but kind of awkward. And boy, some topics often became really awkward. 

She remembers the time during their fourth year when she confided in Rowan that she was kind of having a crush on a Gryffyndor student that was attending the same class as them. 

Rowan couldn’t hold her tongue during their next class together and managed to make them lose 20 points because she squealed a very high pitched “He is here! Oh, he is cute!” when the boy entered the room, leaving a very mortified Naerys and a very angry professor.

Charlie and Barnaby, on the other hand, became almost inseparable and the Slytherin boy occasionally joined the Weasley’s during the holiday season. Molly Weasley didn’t want to let the young wizard alone during the Christmas holidays. 

Barnaby’s grandmother hated the idea, of course and threatened to disown him if he pursued his friendship with the Weasley boy, but he didn’t have any of it and told her that if she wanted to lose the last of Lee heir, he didn’t mind in the slightest. Having her hands tied she never addressed anything again, but forbid him to bring a Weasley home or to engage any romantic relationship with anyone of that status. 

Funnily, Barnaby hadn’t dated anyone either in his sixth years attending the Scottish school and didn’t seem interested in dating any of the groupies that were following him around. He was quite fond of the young Avery and was very protective towards her, which often made the other girls rather jealous. 

But Naerys discovered very early on in their friendship that he was way more open with her than he was with the other girls. With her, he felt comfortable enough to confide in her and let his walls down; wearing his emotions down his sleeve. He had playful banters with Tulip and they often acted like brother and sisters, but he was no way as open with her as he was with his favourite Slytherin friend. 

Growing up without his parents seemed to make him crave human touch, even though he would never admit it. He was very tactile towards his friends, and often circled his arm around Charlie’s neck in a playful and brotherly way, or gently pet Ben’s back to encourage him. 

Rowan usually turned bright red when he got into her personal space, the strong and manly scent of his recently acquired cologne tickling her nose. 

There was no denying that Barnaby is handsome: strong jawline, emerald green eyes, smooth hair and kind smile. And his “bromance” with the just as handsome Gryffindor made some head spin among the female and male students. 

With Naerys though, he wasn’t shy to show his affection towards her. He offered his arm more often than once to walk alongside with her in the corridor, or played with a lock of her hair while they were talking. He didn’t pay attention to the whisperings it caused because he didn’t care. 

If people thought that he was infatuated with her, so be it, and at least some jerks from the Quidditch teams always commenting on her good looks wouldn’t make a move on her or disrespect her, probably afraid to meet one of Barnaby’s iron fists. 

But he felt like he owed Naerys Avery for what she’s done 2 years ago, because for the first time in his life, someone stood out for him and gave him a choice. 

Never once did she boss him around, well, not in a non-playful manner, because she does boss him around from time to time and he secretly loves that. She respects him and values him, and she offered him to join a group of real friends who loved him for whom he truly was and didn’t mock him for his awkward demeanour. For that, he was grateful, and she held a special place in his heart. 

So Charlie could mock him all he wanted about his head resting on Naerys’s shoulder, but Barnaby didn’t move a muscle and stayed comfortably installed. He finally flipped Charlie off, raising his middle finger to him and earning a small kick by Naerys for his rudeness and laughter from the others.

Almost an hour passed before the sun began to set, make the Scottish lake glow with a golden light. 

“We should head back” pointed out Penny, looking at her small watch to check the time “Dinner will soon be served, and curfew is about to begin.”

They slowly stood up, dusting their robes to get rid of the dirt and pine needles that got hooked in their clothes, and walked back to the castle. 

The park was almost already empty and the few students left began to leave too when they noticed that the last ones were also heading back. 

“It has been a good day” smiled Rowan, pointing her chin up so her golden skin could be kissed one last time by the sunset before entering the castle. 

“It was, and I actually studied and learned something. So, Rowan you did well today” laughed Charlie. 

“Shut up” she laughed back, playfully slapping his chest.

For a very rare moment, Naerys forgot about the Cursed Vaults and her missing brother.

For a brief moment, she was a normal student enjoying a sunny day in her school with her friends, laughing. She knew that Jacob was somewhere, probably waiting for her to free him. Her visions became more and more frequent and she knew that, no matter where he was, he found a way to reach out to her and to guide her. 

Her eyes wandered on Rowan and Charlie, laughing about what the redhead man just did, on Ben’s fake annoyed expression and Tonks laugh when Penny gasped after she changed her hair to match her blonde locks. She then looked at Barnaby who was also holding the door for them and smiled affectionately to Tulip and her, ruffling the Ravenclaw’s hair when she curtsied. 

For the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to be happy.


End file.
